


The Lost Child

by DigiAndromeda



Category: Persona 3, Persona 4, Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2019-09-17
Packaged: 2020-10-13 17:11:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20586071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DigiAndromeda/pseuds/DigiAndromeda
Summary: A shimmering blue butterfly crossed Yu's path. Normally the ethereal butterflies he was used to hung around an equally ethereal blue door… But this one wasn’t. And it was alone. There had to be a reason why one of its butterflies was appearing in front of him now and, if the way the butterfly was fluttering in a lazy circle was any indication, it wanted him to fallow it.So he did.[temporarily on hold until Royal comes out in english. sorry!]





	1. A Wounded Detective

**Author's Note:**

> i read a couple of fics were the P3 gang or the P4 gang take in Akechi and fell in love with the idea, so here's my take on it!
> 
> please note that this has not been proofread. i apologize for any grammar or spelling mistakes you may find.

Yu Narukami was on his way to meet an old friend for a late dinner when something unexpected happened.

A shimmering blue butterfly crossed his path.

He had decided to take a shortcut when the familiar creature fluttered passed his face. He watched as it danced its way into the ally next to him.

He blinked at that.

Normally the ethereal butterflies he was used to hung around an equally ethereal blue door…

But this one wasn’t.

And it was alone.

Immediately Yu knew something was up.

He hadn’t seen anything related to the Velvet Room in years.

There had to be a reason why one of its butterflies was appearing in front of him now and, if the way the butterfly was fluttering in a lazy circle was any indication, it wanted him to fallow it.

So he did.

He fallowed the butterfly into an alleyway and as soon as he got close it continued to fly forward.

Out of the alleyway, down the street, through another alley, across an intersection, down another street, into another alleyway, and finally stopping in a alley across the street from the back of the National Diet building.

The alleyway was small, dark, and empty, the only source of light coming from the streetlight at the alleys end. The butterfly was fluttering in a lazy circle close to the ground.

Yu pulled out his cell phone and turned on the flashlight. Aiming it at the butterfly he saw… nothing. Absolutely nothing…

But something told him to wait. It was a gut feeling, a whispering in his heart and he knew he couldn’t ignore it, so he waited.

He turned off his flashlight and sent a message to his friend.

**‘Something came up. Possibly Persona or Shadow related. I’ll be late.’**

**‘I understand. Keep me updated.’**

Putting his phone back into his jackets pocket, he waited.

Time passed as he watched the butterfly flutter in circles. It continued slowly but steadily until it suddenly picked up speed and danced more franticly. The streetlight flickered, the butterfly vanished, and a body warped into the air in front of him before slamming into the ground.

“What the-” Yu rushed forward and knelt down to check the body. “Hey, are you okay?” he turned the body onto its back and paused only a second as his brain registered the battered, twisted, and bleeding form of Goro Akechi.

“uuug…” The teenager ground.

Good, that meant he was alive.

“Hold on, I’ll call an ambulance.” Yu pulled out he phone.

“No… don’t…” Goro-san’s voice trembled. “He’ll… kill me…”

“What? Who?” Yu paused.

“Shido… I failed…”

“The politician?” Yu asked.

“He… controls… ev-” his words cut out as he lost conciseness.

Yu hesitated but not for long. This boy literally appeared out of thin air, in the exact spot the Velvet Room’s butterfly had been and Yu knew that the politician, Shido, had been using his power to keep the Shadow Operatives out of central Tokyo.

He got the feeling these things where connected.

Using his free hand he reached into his messenger back and pulled out a gun like object. Standing up, he placed the muzzle against his head and pulled the trigger.

The sound of shattering glass filled the alley as Yu’s eye glowed blue. Shattered ethereal glass circled around him and condensed behind him forming a strange figure.

It was a black clock circled by three golden women, each with one wing.

“Norn! Diarahan!”

The figure glowed as she released her spell, a green light falling onto Goro-san. Yu watched as the smaller wounds began to heal but he knew it wouldn’t be enough. Quickly, he made a phone call.

_“This is Kirijo.”_

“Kirijo-san, I have an emergency. Goro Akechi is badly injured and might be the lead on Shido you wanted.” He cut to the point.

_“Where are you and how bad?”_

“In an alley behind the National Diet building and pretty bad. I used Diarahan on him but it won’t be enough. He’s lost a lot of blood and limbs are not supposed to twist that way.”

_“I’m sending a chopper your way. We’ll need to move fast or else we’ll be contained. Thankfully it’s nighttime and office hours are over. Keep healing him but don’t move him.”_

“Yes, ma’am.” Yu cast his healing spell again and kneeled down. Using his cheek and shoulder to hold his phone he pulled off his jacket and used it to stop the bleeding on the worst of Goro-san’s injuries.

A bullet hole in his left side.

_“I’m sending Labrys just in case.”_

“Thanks.” Yu smiled. Despite the situation, it was good to know he’s friends still had his back. “I’ll come along with Goro-san. Can you give me an ETA?” he pushed down hard on the wound doing his best to stem the flow of blood.

_“Five to ten minutes.”_

“That soon?” He asked in surprise. “I thought Shido had pushed you out of central Tokyo?”

_“Our facilities are still in tact. It’s our investigations he’s blocked so we’ll be bringing Goro-kun back to the main office. We have everything we need to properly treat him here. I expect the full story when you get here.”_

“Of course.” Yu cast his spell once more and watched as Goro-san’s left arm twisted and flopped back into place and seemed to straiten out. Yu flinched at the sight and cast the spell again, holding back his nausea as best he could when the rest of the kid’s limbs did the same thing.

_“They’ll be there soon.”_

“Alright. Can you do me a quick favor?” he asked with a small hallow laugh.

_“Yes?”_

“Would you mind messaging Rise and telling her I’ll have to take a rain check? My hands are full at the moment.”

_“Of course.”_ Kirijo laughed softly. _“I’ll call her. It’ll be nice to talk to her again.”_

“Thank you.”

_“Of course. See you soon.”_

“Yes.” With The sound of the call ending, Yu let his phone drop so he could turn all of his attention to the boy in front of him.

Goro-san’s breathing was slow but erratic. The smaller of his injuries and the worst of his broken bones had healed but the bigger gashes didn’t, they only got smaller and the bullet wound didn’t heal at all. He wondered if that was because the bullet was still inside.

Using one hand he shifted his jacket to cover one of the larger gashes and pressed down on it. Trying to stop the bleeding of these two wounds felt useless but it was all he could do.

Time ticked by and finally, after what felt like ages, he heard the sound of a chopper followed by a familiar accented voice.

“Yu-kun!” a shout sounded out over the sound of the chopper’s wings.

“Over here!” He shouted back, looking towards the alleys end.

The head of a young girl with light blue hair popped around the alley’s corner before she fully stood in it, waving her arms at someone he couldn’t see. She pointed down the alley and motioned for someone to fallow her.

“How is he?” She asked as she walked over and kneeled down next to Yu.

“Bad. Very bad.” Yu watched as men dressed in black uniforms carried a gurney and medical supplies to them. “He’s got a bullet wound here,” he nodded to one of his hands, “I think the bullets still there. I tried to heal as best I could but…” he trailed off as one of the Shadow Operatives sat next to him and hovered her hands over the bullet wound.

With a quick nod Yu moved his hand and she took over putting pressure on the wound. More Operatives joined them and Yu picked up his phone, stood up and stepped back as they worked.

“Yu-kun, you go wait by the chopper. I’m goin’ to keep watch on this end of the alley.” Labrys said as she walked far enough away so she was close enough in case something happened but far enough so she wasn’t in the way.

“Alright. Be careful.”

She flashed him a smile before he walked away. He stood at the end off the alley next to one of the older Operatives and kept an eye out for anyone or anything that looked suspicious.

Thankfully nothing happened and Goro-san was wheeled out of the alley strapped to a gurney. A neck braced had been placed on him and both an IV and breathing mask was attached to him as well.

As they loaded Goro-san into the back of the large chopper Labrys tapped Yu on the shoulder and motioned for him to fallow. She climbed into the front of the chopper and he fallowed suit, sitting next to her. She handed him a large headset and he placed it on. Labrys also put one.

“Do you really need to ware that?” He gave Labrys a small smile as he tapped the headset and spoke into its speaker.”

She looked at him and gave a sheepish smile.

“Technically, no but it’s fun.”

Yu gave a small laugh before he turned serious again.

“If my guess is correct, Goro-san is connected to Shido and why he’s been pushing back against the Shadow Operatives. The kid said something about Shido killing him.”

Labrys placed her hand on her chin as she thought.

“We were right across from the Diet building, if any of the camera’s saw him-” Yu spoke with worry.

“There’s no need to worry about that Narukami-san.” One of the Operatives piloting the chopper gently cut him off. “Kijiro-san ordered her hackers to hack into any of the surrounding cameras in the area and delete the footage. Even if Shido knows about us being here, he’ll have no clue why.”

Yu let out a sigh of relief.

“Just take a moment to relax, Yu-kun.” Labrys said as she handed him a towel. “Here, for you’re hands.”

Yu looked at his hands. They were covered in Goro-san’s blood. Actually, his pant legs and parts of shirt were also stained with the poor kids blood.

Yu accepted the towel and whipped his hands off as best he could.

“I’ll get you a change of clothes when we get there.” Labrys promised.

“Thank you.”

The rest of the trip was spent in silence save for the sounds of the medics doing their best to stabilize Goro Akechi.


	2. Speculation and... Familiarity?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mitsuru and Naoto-kun speculate about their potential lead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> updates for this are not going to be consistent ^^; but for now this fic is like an itch i have to scratch and writing it is the only way to do so.
> 
> i have a number of scenes planed for this but everything in between is made up as i go so if things seem a bit wonky i do apologize (and like before this chapter isn't proofread.)

Mitsuru Kirijo, leader of the Shadow Operatives, briskly walked down the hall. She was in the medical wing of her organizations headquarters and was on her way to the ICU.

She nodded her greetings to the doctors and nurses she passed by and waved to any of her injured Operatives she saw but she didn’t stop to talk. She had a new patient in her care and an old friend to talk to.

When Yu-kun had arrived and briefed her on what happened she was both worried and a little delighted. She and Naoto-kun had been trying to investigate the mental shutdowns and psychotic breakdowns for almost two years now but every lead they got was blocked by Shido Masayoshi, the politician who was almost guaranteed to win the next election.

Goro Akechi could be the lead they desperately needed.

Mitsuru and Yu had talked in length about what happened and speculated on what it could mean.

She reached a guarded door and nodded to the officer there before walking in. As she entered the ICU’s hallway she caught sight of her friend at the end of the hall.

Naoto Shirogane stood stone still with her hand on her chin as she was deep in thought. She was dressed in a familiar dark blue cardigan coat and blue cap. Her pants and tie were black while her dress shirt was white. She had grown her once short blue hair out and had it pulled back into a low ponytail.

“Naoto-kun.” Mitsuru said in greeting, letting her presence be known.

Naoto-kun turned towards Mitsuru and nodded her greeting as the older woman stood next to her. Mitsuru gazed past the glass wall into the ICU where Goro-kun was being treated.

He was hooked up to so many machines and covered in so many bandages Mitsuru could barely see his face. What she could make out was pale skin and a white cast on his lower right arm.

“It looks like Yu-kun’s quick thinking saved his arms and legs.” Mitsuru sighed.

“Yu-Senpei’s quick thinking saved him in general.” Naoto-kun smiled but her smiled faltered as she returned her gaze the boy. “I’ve spoken with Senpai about what happened and the conclusion I’ve come to is…” She trailed off.

“I think Yu-kun and I also came to a similar conclusion.” Mitsuru claimed.

“A teenage boy who appears gravely injured out of thin air is strange enough but the fact that it was a Velvet Room butterfly who led Senpai there means it has something to do with Personas and Shadows.” Naoto-kun thought out load.

“But what makes things interesting is what he said, correct?” Mitsuru asked.

“Yes.” Naoto-kun nodded. “According to Senpai he said ‘I failed’, ‘he’ll kill me’, and ‘Shido’.”

“Those words imply that he worked for a Shido but failed in whatever task the man sent him on.” Mitsuru continued Naoto-kun’s line of thinking. “And since he was found behind the National Diet building we’re assuming it’s _that_ Shido.”

“Yes, and if failing the task means death then…” a dark look crossed Naoto-kun’s face. “Then it was probably something he doesn’t want coming to light. Something illegal, something criminal.”

“In other words he used a teenager to do his dirty work.” Mitsuru stated with distain. It was only speculation but it still left a dirty taste in her mouth. “So, if the kid he was using had a connection to Personas and Shadows and he knew about those things…”

“It would explain why he chased us away.” Naoto-kun finished for her friend.

Mitsuru was quiet as she thought.

“Many of the people who have suffered Mental Shutdowns had connections to Shido, correct?” Mitsuru asked for confirmation.

“Yes,” Naoto-kun answered. “Many of them were political enemy and a few of them potential allies.”

“We don’t have any evidence and this is all just speculation but what do think are the chances Shido and Goro-kun had something to do with the mental shutdowns?” Mitsuru asked.

“As for as speculation goes? I’d say pretty good.” Naoto-kun returned her attention to Goro-kun. “This theory explains why Shido kept getting in our way.”

“He made it sound like he was just one of the other politicians who didn’t trust or believe us but in actuality he was just hiding his schemes.”

“But this is all conjecture and speculation.” Naoto-kun gave Mitsuru a tired and sad smile.

“Yes,” The head of the Kirijo family returned the small smile, “But it’s something to keep in mind while moving forward.”

“That’s if we can move forward.” Naoto-kun sighed.

“We’ll just have to do our best.” Mitsuru encouraged. “Just keep your eyes and ears open while you work and we’ll do the same. Hopefully when Goro-kun wakes we can get some info out of him.”

“That’s if he cooperates…” Naoto-kun sighed again. “If he really was doing something illegal I doubt he’ll come clean.”

“I’m…” Mitsuru hesitated. “I’m not so sure about that…”

“Hm?” Naoto-kun looked at her quizzically.

“I… I know I’ve never met Goro-kun personally before… but I feel like I have.” Mitsuru explained. “Even though I’m speculating he has connections with the mental shutdowns… when I look at him, laying there on deaths door… it… it feels like…” She trailed off, unsure of herself.

“It feels like it’s one of our long time friends laying there?” Naoto-kun asked, a sympathetic and understanding smile on her face.

“Why, yes.” Mitsuru confirmed in surprise.

“It’s strange but,” Naoto-kun paused, “I feel the same.”

The two were quiet for a long time as they watched Goro-kun and listened to the slow but steady beat of his heart monitor.

“I think Senpai feels the same way.” Naoto-kun broke the silence.

“Then perhaps, if Goro-kun also gets a similar feeling or perhaps if he wants revenge on Shido, he’ll tell us the truth?” Mitsuru threw the question out there with a hopeful but small smile.

“One can hope.” Naoto-kun returned her smile before she began walking away. “I think I’m going to look into Goro-kun’s past for a bit. Maybe we can find some answers there.”

“Good idea. Let me know what you find or if you need a hackers helping hand.”

“I’d hope I’m a clever enough detective that I wouldn’t need to resort to hacking but I’ll keep you updated, Mitsuru-san.” Naoto-kun waved before exiting the hallway.

Mitsuru returned her attention towards Goro-kun.

Regardless of their speculation, it wasn’t right for a teenage boy to be in the condition that he was in. Mitsuru could only hope that he would make a full recovery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naoto starred in her own novel and in it she had let her hair grow. i liked the idea so i incorporated it here ^^; i don't think that novel is considered Canon anymore but it's still nice to give a shout out to it.


	3. A Detective's Perspective.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one might be a bit fast on the pacing side and potentially jump around a bit but i hope you like it nonetheless! i may come back and flesh it out some more but i can't make any promises :(

Naoto left the children’s group home with a scowl on her face. For once it hadn’t been a dead but she wasn’t happy with what she found. She gripped the handlebars of her motorcycle tightly as she sat on it and shoved her helmet on.

“Naoto-san,” a male voice came from the motorcycle, “Is everything okay? Was it another dead end?”

The motorcycle was Sousei Kurogane, the last of the Anti-Shadow Weapons and her partner at work.

“No, Sousei-kun. It wasn’t a dead end. In fact it was the opposite. I found out quite a bit about Goro-kun.” She did her best to calm her nerves and settled in place.

As soon as she was settled in Sousei-kun pulled away from the parking spot and easily slipped into traffic.

“You don’t sound to happy.” Sousei-kun’s voice sounded from the speaker in her helmet.

“I’m not. The people I’ve just dealt with and the people I’m going to have to deal with are the worst kind of people to exist.” She said darkly.

“What,” He hesitated, “What kind of people?”

“The kind who torment a child for things beyond his control.” Her grip on the handlebars tightened. “Head toward Toshima. I’m going to make a call to Mitsuru-san.”

“Alright.”

She slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. With Sousei-kun in control she could afford to glance away from the street. Connecting her phone to her helmet she made her call.

_“Kirijo speaking.”_

“I’ve found a lead on Goro-kun.” Naoto reported.

_“You don’t sound to happy.”_ Mitsuru-san unknowingly repeated Sousei-kun’s words.

“My lead came from a group home.” She stated simply.

_“Oh…”_ came the soft reply. _“How bad was his situation?”_

“Pretty bad.” Naoto kept her voice calm and even. “Apparently, no one but his Mother knew who his Father was.”

_“…”_ Mitsuru-san was quiet for a moment, most likely deep in thought. _“He was a child born out of wedlock and he was in a group home… I’m almost afraid to ask what happened to his mother.”_

“She killed herself in shame.” Naoto answered and Sousei-kun turned down a street a bit too sharply. He must have been shocked at what she said.

_“That’s what I was afraid of…”_ Mitsuru-san sighed. _“What else did you find out?”_

“Once his Mother passed he was shuffled from family member to family member before they finally just dumped him into foster care. I have the name of his maternal grandfather and am on my way to speak with him.”

_“Aright, keep me updated. And Naoto-kun?”_

“Yes?”

_“Remember to keep a calm head. It won’t do for the original Detective Prince to loose her cool.”_

“I won’t Mitsuru-san but I will be borrowing your shooting range later today.” Naoto promised.

_“Fair enough. I’ll see you later.”_

“Goodbye, Mitsuru-san.”

* * *

Later that day Naoto stalked down the hallways of the Shadow Operatives headquarters, making a beeline for the shooting range. Sousei-kun, who had transformed back into his humanoid form, was following close behind her.

She could tell there he was nervous by the sound of his steps and she couldn’t blame him. It wasn’t very often she became this angry but she felt she was justified.

Adults who slander, belittled, and spoke profanely about a child were scum, Complete and absolute scum. Even if the child in question was no longer a child, it was still uncalled for.

And the worse part was she hadn’t found out anything knew. Goro-san’s maternal grandfather knew nothing about who Goro-kun’s father might be or what the boy had been up to. Hell, he didn’t even know that Goro-kun was the famous Detective Prince. He had disowned his daughter the moment she was discovered pregnant.

Naoto seethed and Sousei-kun’s footsteps faltered.

“Sousei-kun, I believe Labrys is watching over Goro-kun. Why don’t you go visit her?” Naoto suggested.

“Ah… but…” the last Anti-Shadow weapon hesitated.

“I’ll be fine. Plus, I’m sure your sister has missed you.” She smiled at him.

“Alright.” He sighed and reluctantly turned around.

Naoto needed to clear her head so she could focus on the tasks in front of her and shooting a paper target in the head was definitely going to be cathartic.

\- - -

A few days later Naoto sat by Goro-kun’s side, watching the slow rise and fall of his chest. His wounds where healing, slowly but surely.

Yu-senpei’s quick thinking really did save him. She had seen the camera footage from the alleyway before it was archived and it wasn’t pretty. As it was he would heal with scars but his body would still be fully functional.

Unfortunately he was still unconscious.

“Hello Goro-kun.” Naoto spoke. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Naoto Shirogane, I’m the original Detective Prince, your predecessor.” she let out a small laugh. “Right now I’m handling your case to find out what happened to you but there’s something I thought you’d like to know.” She paused.

She knew he might not hear her but…

“The Phantom Thieves took over the airwaves and sent out a warning to Shido. They’re going to steal his heart. I’ll be sure to keep you updated.” She promised.

There was no change in the boy but Naoto knew that sometimes words could make their way into the mind of the unconscious. She could only hope that if he could hear her and understand her that what she told him brought him closer.

* * *

“Damn it!” Mitsuru-san seethed, her fist hitting the wall. Naoto pulled the rim of her hat down, full heartedly agreeing with her friend’s exclamation. “Shido’s basically confessed and nothings changed at all! We’re still being blocked at every turn!”

“Shido’s men are trying to cover up everything and the public won’t accept or acknowledge Shido’s crimes.” Aigis-san, the blonde Anti-Shadow weapon, said. “Something… something isn’t right.”

“I agree…” Fuuka Yamagishi-san said, a frown on her face. “Something… something _is_ wrong.” She confirmed. “I… can’t place _what_ it is or _where_ it is but… something _feels_ off. Almost like there’s something in the air that is contaminating _all_ of Tokyo.”

Silence filled Mitsuru-san’s office.

“Has there been an increase in Shadow activity?” Yu-senpai asked. He had come to check on Goro-kun but had been visiting Mitsuru-san when she got the report from one of her men.

“It’s hard to tell.” Mitsuru-san sighed. “Sometimes the readings are off the charts, other times there are no readings at all. It almost feels like someone is messing with our equipment but…” she trailed off.

“That’s not the case?” Yu questioned.

“Not by any human or anything visible to the human eye at least.” Came the frustrated reply.

Silence once again reigned in the office. Time slipped by as everyone was deep in thought, each person trying to come up with some sort of answer or plan.

The silence was broken when Mitsuru-san’s cell phone went off.

“She pulled out her phone and glanced at it before answering.

“Kirij-” she started but stopped, most likely being cut off. Her eyes widened. “What?! Alright, we’ll be right down.” She hung up and made a beeline to the door. “That was Labrys. Goro-kun is awake.”

“Really?!” Yu-senpai asked as they all feel instep behind Mitsuru-san.

“Yes, the doctors are checking him know but…” she paused.

“Is something wrong?” Naoto asked.

“He’s awake but unresponsive…” a look of frustration and sadness marred Mitsuru-san’s face.

“Un… Responsive?” Naoto repeated sadly. “How so?”

“According to Labrys, He’s awake but just staring into the distance.”

“He’s not just ignoring her is he?” Yu-senpai asked.

“We’ll find out when we get there.” And with that the conversation ended. Everyone made their way to the ICU in a tense silence.

When they got there were three people at Goro-kun’s side, checking him, monitoring him. Labrys was standing off to the side watching them with worry.

Mitsuru-san walked in with purpose.

“Doctor Honda.” Misturu-san gently but firmly called towards the doctor.

Doctor Honda looked up from her place at the boy’s side and exchanged a few quiet words with the two nurses before walking over to her boss.

“How is he?” Mitsuru-san and the others looked over at the boy. One of the nurses was blocking their view of his face.

“Physically, he’s the same. Injured but healing.” The Doctor answered. “However, despite being awake, he’s showing no sign of hearing or seeing us.”

“Are his eyes and ears alright? Or is he simply ignoring us?” Mitsuru-san asked.

“His eyes are fine, they react to the flashlight as they should. Without his response we have no way of knowing whether or not he can hear us but his ears do look fine as well.” She explained. “And… I doubt he’s ignoring us.”

“What makes you say that?”

“His eyes, Ma’am.” The Doctor said. “They’re completely lifeless.”

“Lifeless?” Mitsuru-san shared a look with Naoto and Yu-senpai before looking over at Labrys. The blue haired Anti-Shadow weapon nodded before turning her attention back towards Goro-kun.

“I think you’ll understand what I mean when you see his eyes.” The Doctor answered sadly before returning to the boy’s side and finishing his check up. Once she was done she gave Labrys some instructions and left, giving a small bow to Mitsuru-san before doing so.

Once the Doctor and Nurses had left, Mitsuru-san, Labrys, and the others walked over to Goro-kun. His eyes were indeed open but he made no sign that he had seen then approach and made no movement as they stood by his bedside.

His eyes were half open and unfocussed, gazing into the distance, not focusing on anything. Yu-senpai waved a hand in front of his face but the boy didn’t change. Yu-senpai tried snapping his fingers by Goro-kun’s eyes and ears but still no response.

“He’s really not responding…” Yu-senpai breathed out.

“He didn’t flinch when you snapped, so I doubt he’s ignoring us…” Fuuka-san said.

“I see what she meant by lifeless…” Mitsuru-san sighed. “Well, at least it’s a step forward. He’s alive and awake at the very least.” She gave the boy a small smile. “Hopefully, for both his sake and ours, he’ll recover.”

“We can only hope…” Naoto said as she watched over the boy who had become her second coming.

* * *

About a week later things changed for the worst and it had nothing to do with Goro-kun’s condition.

Naoto and Sousei-kun looked at the sky in horror.

It was raining blood while giant spines and ribcages arched across the dark sky.

It was a scene out of a nightmare and the worst part was that no one else seemed to notice the abnormality.

“What… is going on?” Sousei-kun asked, eyes wide in horror.

“The end of the world.” Naoto said eyes equally wide. “And we have no idea what’s causing it or how to stop it.”

The sound of her phone ringing caught her attention and she answered it without looking.

“Shirogane speaking.” She tried to keep her voice calm.

_“The Phantom Thieves have disappeared.”_ Yu-Senpai’s voice spoke.

“What?” She asked in confusion.

_“Since Goro-kun was investigating the Phantom Thieves and considering how I found him, I thought it might be a good idea to keep an eye on them. They have a Phansite,”_ He held back a chuckle, _“where you can leave a request for them to change someone’s heart. The site also has a poll about whether their real or not.”_

“Did something happen on the site?” Naoto asked.

_“I was browsing around it when the… rain started and I watched as the percentage on the poll plummeted towards zero. Not only is belief of the Phantom thieves gone but all the news articles surrounding them have also disappeared. I can’t find anything about them online. It all happened in under five minutes.”_

“That’s impossible…” Naoto breathed out. “You can’t just…. This is…” she was at a loss of words. “Have you told Mitsuru-san?”

_“Yes. She’s looking into it. She said something about Cognitive Psience and a researcher she once knew. The researcher passed away awhile ago but I think she’s going to try and see if any of the research is still around.”_

“It’s a start…” Naoto tapped her fists on Sousei-kun’s shoulder gaining his attention. “We’ll be heading back to Kirijo headquarters for now. You should stay inside as well senpai.”

_“Yes ma’am.”_ Came the lighthearted laugh. _“Stay safe, Naoto.”_

“Yes, sir.” She smiled despite herself. She hung up watched as Sousei-kun transformed into his motorcycle form. “Let’s head back to base and keep an eye on things there.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She hopped onto Sousei-kun and they sped away, doing their best to ignore the splashing of blood at his wheels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sousei Kurogane is also from the novel i mentioned last time. he sounded like a fun character so i put him in! i don't know him as well as the others so he probably just remain a minor character but still! Aigis and Labrys have a little (big) Brother!


	4. By His Bedside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Labrys's perspective of that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again i apologize for any misspelling.

When Goro Akechi had been brought in Mitsuru-san had assigned Labrys to watch over him. Her assignment was to guard him and keep him safe but to also fight against him if necessary.

Labrys doubted the ICU patient could pose any danger to them with his wounds but Mitsuru-san had said she’d rather be more safe then sorry.

Labrys could understand that. When dealing with Shadows and Personas things were never what they seemed and if Naoto-kun’s speculation was correct, he had some connection to them.

What she couldn’t understand was how a teenager got roped up with a politician. There was still debate on whether the ‘Shido’ Goro-kun had mentioned was the politician or not but since Yu-kun had found him behind the Diet building they were working under the assumption he was.

“Poor guy…” Labrys said out loud. Shifting her position on her chair to get more comfortable. She had pulled it up to his bedside in the hopes that sitting close to him would cause him to react but…

His eyes continued to stare vacantly at nothing. The only difference from yesterday was that he was looking out the window at the bloody rain instead of straight ahead.

“Well,” Her accented voice forced a little cheer, “At least he ain’t lookin’ at the wall anymore.”

“That’s always an improvement, right?” A rough but kind voice spoke from behind her.

Labrys turned around and smiled at the Police Officer.

“Akihiko-san! It’s been awhile!” She stood up to great her old friend. He was in uniform but he held his cap in one hand while his other loosened his tie.

“It really has.” He smiled as Labrys pulled up another chair for him. “How are you doing, Labrys?” he asked as he sat down.

“I’m doin’ great!” She smiled. “And you?”

“About as good as can be expected, all things considered.” He nodded out the window with his head.

“I suppose that makes sense.” Labrys gave a nervous little laugh. “But what are you doin’ here?”

“I’m here to visit Goro-san.” Akihiko replied. “I promised to keep him updated on a certain case. Although, Mitsuru has been keeping me posted on his condition so I’m not sure if he’ll hear any of it…”

“That’s true.” Labrys glanced at Goro-kun. He was still staring out the window. “Can I ask what kinda case?”

“Hm? Oh, sure. Thanks to Goro-san’s help, the case was closed, so I’m able to talk about it know. Let’s see,” He paused in thought, sorting out what he wanted to say. “He helped me out about three months ago. It was a case were a single Father supposedly committed suicide but his teenage son refused to except it.”

“Oh… that’s…” Labrys looked away for a bit.

“Yeah, the poor kid keep begging the police to investigate more but since the kid was an illegitimate child no one was taking him seriously. But I remembered Goro-san had helped me on a similar case before so I brought it to his attention.” Akihiko-san explained.

“He helped you on a case?” Labrys asked surprised.

“Yeah, seven actually.” He admitted.

“What?! Why am I just know hearing ‘bout this?” She raised her brows in surprise.

“Because Goro-san asked me to remain quiet about his involvement in those particular cases.” Akihiko-san sighed. “In fact after each case was done he made me take the credit for them.”

“You’re kiddin’…”

“No, I’m not.” He let out a tired laugh. “It was a well kept secret but there were certain cases that he would solve and for some reason not want his name attached to them, so he picked a handful of officers, whom he’d work with, and then arrange for them to get all the credit. I was apparently one of them. Without me even realizing it he made me take credit for four of those cases.”

“But… why?” Labrys asked, confused.

“All these cases were very similar to each other in many ways. They all had to do with ether illegitimate children, single parents, orphans, or children born out of wedlock…”

“Oh…” Labrys looked down as she remembered what Naoto-kun had said about Goro-kun’s past.

“Yeah, I heard from Mitsuru.” Akihiko-san sighed. “I suppose it make sense why he was so determined to help on those cases and why he didn’t want his name attached to them. If word got out that he was also born out of wedlock…”

“His career would be over…” Labrys finished.

“Yes.”

“So… What happened with the boy? The case you wanted to update Goro-kun on?” She asked, getting the conversation back on track.

“Oh right. Well, Goro-kun thanked me for bringing it to his attention and proceeded to basically kidnap me to help him solve it. Before I knew it I was driving him everywhere, from the library, to the crime scene, to gathering whiteness statements, and more.” Akihiko-san continued. “Eventually we discovered that the son had been right, his Father didn’t commit suicide. He was murdered by his lover’s legal husband. The worst part is that the man had no idea his lover had been married until she was pregnant.”

“oh…” Labrys flinched.

“Yeah… when you work with the police force you come across all kinds of tragic stories.” He sighed. “But Goro-san closed the case and quickly moved on. There was still some loose ends that needed to be tied up but he left them to me and made me promise to update him on how the kid was doing.”

“How _is_ he doin’?” she asked

“Good.” He smiled. “His grandmother took him in and is taking good care of him. He did have to transfer schools but he’s doing well.”

“That’s wonderful!” Labyrs smiled. “Did you hear that Goro-kun?” She turned towards the bedridden teen not expecting much. “That kid…is…”

Goro-kun was looking at Akihiko-san.

His eyes were still vacant and empty but there was no doubt he was looking at the officer.

He didn’t say anything or move. He just simply stared.

Silence stretched out before them and the sound of the clock ticking was unexpectedly loud. After awhile though, Goro-kun lifted his hand and feebly reached for Akihiko-san.

Wordlessly Akihiko-san and Labrys switched chairs so he was closer to the teenage detective and, gently, he took hold of Goro-kun’s hand.

Goro-kun gazed at Akihiko-san for a moment longer before turning his attention back towards the window.

“I think… that’s the first time he’s acknowledged anyone.” Labrys whispered as she took out her phone and messaged Mitsuru-san.

“If you can call a ‘vacant stare’ acknowledgement…” Akihiko-san laughed humorlessly.

“It’s progress.” Labrys said as her phone beeped. “Mitsuru-san is on her way and is sending the Doctor as well.”

“Alright,” Akihiko-san turned his attention back towards Goro-kun. He contemplated the young detective before speaking again. “I’ll stay until he let’s go.”

“Sounds good.” Labrys smiled. She looked at Goro-kun’s hand. She didn’t need to be the one holding Goro-kun’s to know that he was using what little strength he had to grip onto Akihiko-san. It was almost as if he was anchoring himself to the waking world.

\- - -

Later that day there was panic in the streets. Labrys watched the people on the streets panicking from the ICU’s window. It was chaos and the worst part was that the Shadow Operatives couldn’t do anything.

However, according to Mitsuru-san one of their Operatives had seen a group of strangely dressed people ascending the large structures earlier in the day.

She could only hope they were trying to save the word instead of being the ones to destroy it.

As she was musing, the TV screen in the room turned on. She jumped into a fighting stance even though she knew the screen was to small for anything to come through.

But to her surprise a red symbol appeared, the Phantom Thieves symbol.

_“And we’ll definitely… definitely…!”_ A voice echoed from the TV. _“Take the world!”_

A feeling of warmth spread throughout Labrys heart and body.

“This is…” she relaxed her stance and placed her had on her chest. She knew this feeling… it was…

“Hope.” Goro-kun’s voice spoke softly.

Labrys turned on her heals.

Goro-kun’s gaze was fixed onto the TV, his expression warm and a little annoyed.

“What’s the matter? Get up.” He spoke softly. “It’s too early for checkmate.”

Labrys opened her mouth to speak but she realized he wasn’t talking to her.

He was talking to the Phantom Thieves.

_“You hear that?! Those are the voices of the humans you made fun of!”_ The voice from the TV spoke again. _“No one wants you to rule over them! Isn’t that right, Joker?!”_

“They… can hear us?” Labrys realized and her shock turned into determination. “Don’t give up! Never give up! As long your alive keep fightin’!”

_“That’s right.”_ Another male voice, who was most likely Joker, confirmed and Goro-kun let out a small laugh.

_“Why do they gotta word it like they’re lookin’ down on us?” _a third male voice complained with a small laugh.

_“But, they’re cheering for us…”_ a young girls voice responded.

_“Heh…”_ Another young girl’s voice laughed. _“Doesn’t feel bad.”_

_“They don’t have to tell us twice…”_ a young man’s deep voice said.

_“We won’t let ourselves be erased!”_ exclaimed a third young lady.

_“We’re going all out!”_ a final young lady’s voice rang out.

_“I will see my justice through for the sake of protecting what I care about.”_ The first voice spoke again. _“The same goes for you guys too. If you’ve decided to take the world from him, don’t compromise your ideals to the very end!”_

_“Now that’s beauty!”_

_“Yeah! Let’s defeat him together!”_

_“Hey, god! Foolish humans are prayin’ down there!”_

The sound of people chanting reached the ICU room and Labrys realized that everyone in the building and on the streets were cheering for the Phantom Thieves.

_“We’re saving this world!”_ the second voice, Joker, exclaimed.

The familiar sound of shattering class echoed from the TV followed by the sound of rattling and breaking chains.

Labrys looked out the window and a roar and explosion sounded from the small TV. Streaks of light fell across the sky like shooting stars.

_“So you have failed to harness the power.”_ A mechanical voice sounded. It sent a shiver of dread down Labrys’s back. _“No matter how many prayers of those foolish masses come together… Hm?!”_

The sound of thunder cut off the mechanical voice.

_“What the?”_

Labrys watched as the sky turned blue and a huge figure descended.

_“That’s-”_

_“Man, it’s huge!”_

_“What an immense power…! No way… Is it a Persona…?”_

“A Persona?!” Labrys gasped as she gazed at the giant creature. Its appearance, its presence… there was no doubting that it was a Persona. “I had no idea they could be that huge!”

“That’s just like you, isn’t it, Ren.” Goro-kun muttered weakly with a laugh.

_“Fools! This is why man is doomed…”_ said the mechanical voice.

A flash of white light lit up the sky.

_“Impossible!”_ the mechanical voice shouted.

_“I see…”_ the first voice chuckled. _“If a god plays naughty, then it’s a demon lord’s duty to punish him! What better way is there for a finale as a Trickster! Joker, we’re entrusting our strength and the people’s hopes to you! Put an end to this!”_

_“Pillage him, Satanael!” _Joker commanded.

The giant person pulled out an equally giant riffle and aimed it at the other creature.

_“Begone!”_ Joker ordered.

_“Preposterous… You dare rob the people’s wishes?!”_

The Persona pulled the trigger and the sound of its fire rang out in the air and through the TV. Labrys watch as the bullet quickly shattered through the other creature’s head with wide eyes.

The sun broke through the clouds as the creature began to shake and twitch.

_“What power… It surpasses mine own… a god born from the wish of the masses… So this is the true Trickster… Damn that Igor… It seems he wasn’t spouting nonsense…”_ the creature spoke.

The creature glowed a bright golden light before evaporating into specks of light and floating away.

_“Look!”_

_“Ain’t that a Treasure? Right, Mona?”_

_“Thanks for everything gang.”_

_“Mona-chan?”_

_“Mona?”_

_“Humans have the power to change the world. They just forgot about a bit…”_

The voices from the TV began to fade and Labrys knew that it had returned to a blank screen.

A few minutes of silence passed buy before the rain finally stopped and the red sky began to clear. Labrys and Goro-kun watched as the large bones and the bloods remains faded away into sparkles of light. Soon, everything in Tokyo became shrouded in the fading but bright sparkles.

It was a strangely beautiful sight.

“They really did it…” Goro-kun said and Labrys turned around to look at him.

His face was twisted into a tired grin and she could tell by his drooping eyes he was falling back to sleep.

“Honestly…” he closed his eyes. “I’m… not… sur…prised…”

His breathing slowed and evened out as their room was engulfed in light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty sure Akechi has solved legitimate cases before. He's shown solving non-psychotic breakdown cases in the anime after all and is shown to be a competent detective in PQ2. and the case he's working on in the 'Mementos Mission' manga may not be a psychotic Breakdown case ether. maybe. that one's still up in the air.
> 
> also, speaking of the anime i mixed and matched Quotes from it and the game for this chapter.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading and i hope you enjoyed it. feel free to point out any grammar and spelling mistakes you find and i will be sure to fix them! :)


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